CONFESSIONS OF A WANNABE ECO CHIC: Meat Matters

Ok, you may find the subject of this blog completely gross, and my husband can’t believe I’m even writing about it, but here’s one more dilemma that wannabe eco chics (and dudes) face every time that leftover pot of meat sauce lingers too long in the fridge.

Is it better to toss it in the garbage, or flush it down the toilet? My husband and I argued over this point recently (in fact, he was aghast when I said  I would blog about it) one night when he saw me scraping too-old meat sauce into the garbage and told me to just flush it down the toilet. “Down the toilet?!?” I exclaimed? Isn’t that polluting? Though, given what else gets flushed, his argument may hold merit. My technique of tossing in the trash isn’t any better—the meat will rot in the landfill—which is just as polluting . . . or is it more?

What is the right way to handle this daily past-its-prime dinner dilemma? Meat cannot be composted. I wouldn’t serve bad meat to my dog (and the garlic and spices might not be the best thing for his digestion). I’m not about to set it outside for the raccoons or other animals to scavenge in my suburban backyard.

You are probably thinking “this girl’s got to get a life,” which may be true, but that doesn’t mitigate the fact that every single day we face life’s little challenges and need to decide what the right thing to do is. Sometimes those answers aren’t so easy, even if the task at hand is a simple one. So, what do you think? The trash or the toilet?

–Diana Murphy, editor in chief of canvas